Kindle Voyage vs Kobo Aura H2O

[Rizla]

It's probably already been discussed but...I know at least one person finds the H2O touch screen less sensitive/accurate than the Voyage. Have others found this, and can it be said for comparisons of other Kobo/Kindle models?

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by Rizla

It's probably already been discussed but...I know at least one person finds the H2O touch screen less sensitive/accurate than the Voyage. Have others found this, and can it be said for comparisons of other Kobo/Kindle models?

Based on personal experience of Kobo only (4 models) - I've seen problems with standard epubs (which use the Kobo's Adobe renderer) which contain footnote hyperlinks if/when the tappable link areas are 'too small'.

As long as the epub has been de-DRM'd, anyone with basic CSS/HTML skills (obviously not everyone) can fix the problem with the calibre Editor or Sigil if they want to by:
- tweaking the CSS to increase the size of the links and/or
- tweaking the HTML to increase the target area of the links e.g. by wrapping the number or symbol in square brackets, like [1] or[*].

I'm not an annotator myself but I believe selecting chunks of text is also a bit clunky in standard epubs with a Kobo.

Those who prefer to read kepubs (which use the Kobo's ACCESS renderer), whether official Kobo purchased kepubs or calibre-created converted kepubs, don't appear to experience the same problems with either footnotes or annotating.

For page-turning, menu item selection, dictionary lookups I can't say I've experienced any problems at all with any of my Kobos. This is not to say that the Kindles aren't better at some/all of these things.

[JSWolf]

Another way to fix the small footnote link is to increase the font size, hit the footnote link, read the footnote, go back and change the font size back to what it was.

[Lin2412]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I agree. I too had both an H2O and a Voyage, but ended up selling the H2O because I was so frustrated by the inaccurate touchscreen. As you say, it's fine for turning pages, but an exercise in frustration if you need to do anything that requires precision, such as selecting text, or activating a small hyperlink.

I was planning to buy this for my father. I will look into more reviews again, as Josieb1 said it wasn't technically experienced by her also. My dad is really particular with the keyboards and he wants it to be as big as possible. lol so I'd also begin with my comparative study again.

[JSWolf]

I cannot compare the keyboard of the H2O to that of the Kindle, but the H2O keyboard is bigger then that of the Sony Reader PRS-T1 and the H2O keyboard also has numbers on it as well without having to switch keyboards.

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by cct1

What I wish it had more than a better dictionary is the Kindle's Vocabulary Builder.

I second that!

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by Rizla

It's probably already been discussed but...I know at least one person finds the H2O touch screen less sensitive/accurate than the Voyage. Have others found this, and can it be said for comparisons of other Kobo/Kindle models?

My experience is that it is not nearly as accurate or as sensitive as the kindles if you use epubs on the Kobo. If you do a lot of highlighting or use a lot of footnotes, etc. it will definitely frustrate you. It is markedly inferior to the kindle when using epubs.

However, if you convert the books to kepubs, which is fast and easy in calibre, it's not an issue at all for me then and I do a lot of both. Turning pages is not an issue with either format, but it is faster with kepubs compared to epubs.

[Rizla]

Is the H2O touchscreen more sensitive when using kepubs than epubs?

[uppon2]

Hey guys. I went to check the kindle PW2 out today and omg, the screen seems tiny! I will admit that I use an Oppo Find 7 mobile phone and the screen size is 5.5" - i have not used my i river Story (SD) for ages but i don't remember the screen seeming that small. I'm definitely not getting anything that size. I honestly hope the extra screen on the H20 is enough as I'm not sure what the next step will be. In going to play with an Aura HD tomorrow and will check if I'm happy with the screen size. Are there any 7-8" e-ink touchscreen readers that are on par with Kindle and Kobo? - The Icarus 8 looks interesting as it has audio as well, but no touchscreen

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by Rizla

Is the H2O touchscreen more sensitive when using kepubs than epubs?

It's better all around when using kepubs. Faster, smoother, more accurate.

Originally Posted by uppon2

Hey guys. I went to check the kindle PW2 out today and omg, the screen seems tiny! I will admit that I use an Oppo Find 7 mobile phone and the screen size is 5.5" - i have not used my i river Story (SD) for ages but i don't remember the screen seeming that small. I'm definitely not getting anything that size. I honestly hope the extra screen on the H20 is enough as I'm not sure what the next step will be

I think the size of the H20 is perfect. I love the bigger screen. When I open my PW2 now, the screen looks quite small in comparison.

[JSWolf]

I have to agree, the screen size of the h2O makes 6" screen look noticeably smaller and a 5" screen would just be tiny.

[uppon2]

Originally Posted by sparklemotion

It's better all around when using kepubs. Faster, smoother, more accurate.



I think the size of the H20 is perfect. I love the bigger screen. When I open my PW2 now, the screen looks quite small in comparison.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I have to agree, the screen size of the h2O makes 6" screen look noticeably smaller and a 5" screen would just be tiny.

You guys are right. The 6.8" seems to be much bigger than the Kindle side by side (if the Aura HD has the same screen dimensions). Small change can make such a difference with perception, as well. I much prefer the size of the Kobo.

I did notice something weird, though. Out of the 4 Kobo devices on display, only one of them was functioning and the others seem to have crashed or something as the screens were not responding to touch; there was not any demo mode on, just a random settings screen, etc.

I tried to play with buttons and sliders, just in case they were set to "locked" or something but nothing seemed to change. The staff where I was are all hopeless at customer service and it doesn't help they were extremely understaffed during this busy period. Oh well.

I think 6.8" will be enough for me, but larger would be cool as well if there was one comparable.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by uppon2

You guys are right. The 6.8" seems to be much bigger than the Kindle side by side (if the Aura HD has the same screen dimensions). Small change can make such a difference with perception, as well. I much prefer the size of the Kobo.

But, on the other hand, the Voyage is a lot more portable than the H2O. The main reason the H2O is larger isn't the screen, but the larger bezel, particularly at the bottom.

[uppon2]

Originally Posted by HarryT

But, on the other hand, the Voyage is a lot more portable than the H2O. The main reason the H2O is larger isn't the screen, but the larger bezel, particularly at the bottom.

I am talking about the screen, specifically. I am not fussed by chassis dimensions.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by uppon2

I am talking about the screen, specifically. I am not fussed by chassis dimensions.

They matter when it comes to ease of carrying the reader around. I can easily carry my Voyage in my pocket; I couldn't do that with my H2O.